”Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

human rights defender and founder of Youth Against Settlements, mr Issa Amro by

security troops of the Palestinian Authority on 3 september 2017..

His ”crime”?

Using his fundamental right on freedom of expression.

According to my sources, mr Amro has been arrested by

Palestinian security forces after he had criticised the arrest of the Palestinian journalist, Ayman Naeem Qawasmi in a Facebook post. [1]

I’m glad to have learnt, that Mr Ayman Naeem Qawasmi

has been released now. [2]

But referring to mr Amro I ask you:

Since when is criticizing someone’s arrest in a Facebook

post a criminal offense?

It is mr Amro’s basic right to state his opinion and your government

should be deeply ashamed for acting like this!

This scandalous act of your government is no isolated incident,

but stems directly from a new “electronic crimes” law that limits freedom of expression online, [3] violating the basic right,

to say or write what you think.

My source [Al Jazeera] further states, that under the

”electronic crimes law”, anyone found guilty of acts online that disturb what is called “social harmony” faces up to 15 years of hard labour. [4]

To say it frankly:

This is crazy, dangerous and dictatorial and must stop

at once!

Mrs Sulaiman, you doubtless know, that I am not alone in my indignation about the arrest of Mr Amro!

Human rights organization Amnesty International

has called the arrest ”a shameless attack on freedom of expression”

[5]

As I wrote earlier, your government’s violating of free seech is no isolated

incident:

In june 2017, at least 11 websites were blocked [6] and in august

2017, Amnesty International concluded an alarming attack

in the freedom of expression since the start of 2017 [7]:

Journalists and activists were arbitrarily arrested, violent

interrogations took place as physical assaults. [8]

Mrs Sulaiman, I think I have made my point clear enough:

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, as

stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and

the international treaties and the Palestinian Authority

has the obligation to respect and maintain that right.

So I urge you to put pressure on your government, not

only to release mr Issa Amro immediately, but to stop

harrassing journalists, revoke the ”electronic crimes law”

and maintain human rights.

The Palestinian people don’t fight the brutal

Israeli occupation and all its injustices that hard, to become

oppressed by their ”own” Palestinian government!

End the oppression of journalisst and fullfil your

international obligations!

That’s what I demand from your government.

I expect your cooperation.

Kind greetings

Astrid Essed

Amsterdam

The Netherlands

NOTES

[1]

”On September 4, Associated Press sent out a report with a headline stating that Amro had been arrested for calling on Abbas to resign. This is INCORRECT. The Facebook post Amro was arrested for criticized the Palestinian Authority for arresting a journalist, Ayman Qawasmi, who was indeed arrested for writing that Abbas should resign. Issa’s Facebook post (screenshot below) just criticizes the arrest and calls for freedom of expression.

MADA welcomes the release of Qawasmi and demands the release of Amr

Ramallah, 6/9/2017 The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) welcomes the release of Ayman Naeem Al-Qawasmi the chairman of Al-Hurriya Radio, who was arrested by the Palestinian Preventive Security on 3/9/2017.

AL-Qawasmi said to MADA after he was released this morning: “I received a phone call from the Preventive Security Service in Hebron on Sunday at 1:30 pm, to go immediately to the Preventive Security office, after I arrived at their office; I was directly interrogated about the video that was published after the broke into Al-Hurriya Radio station, in which I said that the Palestinian president, the prime minister and the governor should resign if they can’t protect the institutions.

They asked me about the reason for posting this video, I replied that it was published in an angry moment after the radio equipment was destroyed and confiscated by the occupation forces[1]. They actually understood my reasons. In the next day, the Legal Adviser came and wrote my statement, and I signed it. On the third day, the prosecution came and extended my detention 24 hours; until I was released this morning at 9:00 am without any conditions.

On the other hand, MADA Center demands the release of the activist Issa Ismail Amro, who was arrested on 3/9/2017, according to his brother Ahmed, who reported to MADA “A force from the Preventive Security Service came to our house in Hebron at about 11:30 pm. Issa was not at home. They called him and informed him to present himself at their headquarters for five minutes, but he replied that he will go there tomorrow. The next day at around 12:00 pm he headed to the headquarters of the preventive security service and did not return yet, according to lawyer Sulaiman al-Husseini, the preventive security service did not report any information about the reasons for the arrest and that Issa is still under interrogation, and that even the members of the preventive security service are unaware of the reason for his arrest. He also informed us that today 06/09/201 they extended his detention for 24 hours for further interrogation.

Amro, posted on his Facebook page before his arrest: “a ( woman) journalist was threatened by members of the security services after she posted the news of arresting Ayman Al-Qawasmi, I hope that all journalists spread this information as it 100% true, not a rumor”

MADA Center condemns the arrest of journalists and activists for expressing their opinions and demands an end to this policy.”

”Since the start of 2017, Palestinian authorities in the West Bank have carried out scores of attacks against journalists and activists, subjecting them to arbitrary arrests, violent interrogations, confiscation of equipment, physical assaults and bans on reporting1”